dramatic demos

The artillery fungus (Sphaerobolus stellatus) may not be "dramatic" enough,
but it does shoot spores long distances towards light colored surfaces. I
keep this as my pet fungus in the diagnostic lab here; the spore masses
collect on the covers of the culture dishes or at the sides of the dishes
that are facing a source of light (i.e. the window). The bird's nest-like
fruiting bodies are very abundant in the cultures. I just grow it on bark
mulch and water. The fungus causes headaches for homeowners when it
colonizes their bark mulch and shoots spores onto the house siding (or
nearby white Corvettes, Mercedes, etc.). The spores have mother nature's
version of "super glue" attached to them.
Diane
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Diane Karasevicz Phone: 607-255-7850
Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab FAX: 607-255-4471
321 Plant Science Building Email: dmk8 at cornell.edu
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853 _\\/|\//_
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